Unexpected but beloved surprises
by Russian Wolf 666
Summary: It was a normal day, really it was, until the nations were told that they now had to look after the personifications of their capitals but a relesed child molestor is back on the streets.My first APH fic so be nice but constructive critisism welcome
1. Meet the Capitals

It started out like any other meeting. America spouted completely idiotic ideas, Britain and France were attempting to kill each other after a few snide remarks, China was mumbling about the immaturity of western nations to a smiling Russia and expressionless Japan, Germany was attempting to get everyone back on track and Italy just sat there looking clueless. It would have been a normal day but then the bosses of the nations present walked in accompanied by eight children.

Normally the bosses of nations discussed things in a different room in order to avoid any physical injury but that was to be expected. Putting England and France in a room together was asking for trouble. Putting America and Russia in a room together was asking for all out warfare. The nations were instantly silent as they stared at the eight little figures. They were dressed in the usual flowing white nightgowns of a new nation or major city. America was the first to get his mouth in working order.

"Hey Boss, who're the runts?" His mouth was working but his brain, it seemed, was still in need of repairs. The leaders of each country walked up to their nation and deposited a child, proclaiming that the child was the nation's capital. Then, with a lot of angry mumbling, they marched out slamming the door behind them. The nations winced at the sounds of their obviously furious leaders. Negotiations were obviously not going well. France went into a brief panic when it looked like the child in front of him might cry and hurriedly sang a rather pathetic sounding lullaby that he made up on the spot. The nations were otherwise silent as they studied the shy children before them. The little girl in front of France slowly began to clap along with the song he was still singing. France laughed and twirled the girl around in his arms. Britain stared at the boy who seemed to be working up the courage to say something. Finally the timid words came forth.

"Um, excuse me sir but…do you think…when we get to where ever we're going to be staying…that we might have some…tea and scones?" England's expression softened into a gentle smile and he nodded, placing a hand on the boy's head. China and the boy before him stared at each other before the boy noticed the panda at China's feet. His eyes lit up as China brought it to sit on his lap, beaming proudly.

"Panda aru!" Japan and the girl before him simply took each other in before the girl stood and bowed to show her respect.

"An honor to meet you Japan-san." Japan nodded and gave her a small smile. Russia beamed at the boy sitting before him. He hummed and took a long drink from his vodka bottle before looking at the child again. The boy had yet to say anything and Russia wondered briefly if he was mute.

"Do you know who I am, малютка(_Little One_)?" Russia took another swing of vodka as the child nodded once.

"You are Russia, the strongest bestest country in the world da." Russia's smile widened and he opened his arms to welcome the child into an embrace, which the boy happily accepted. Germany wasn't sure what to make of the boy. He didn't really know how to take care of children and if was anything like the children that Germany normally saw then the he had even less of an idea. The girl before the Italian beside him looked at Italy and smiled.

"Pasta!" Italy gasped happily, thrilled to have another pasta lover around. The boy before Germany scowled at the girl, instantly gaining her attention.

"Not yet. You've just eaten and it's not time for the next meal." Germany gave a sigh of relief. This he could handle. Unfortunately there were now _two_ upset Italians to deal with. America's loud and obnoxious voice shattered whatever calm might have settled over the room.

"Don't worry guys. I'll help all of you to raise your kids to be awesome cause I'm the Hero and" America was cut off by a smaller voice.

"That's what hero's do!" The girl before America was standing with her hands on her hips, striking a pose similar to America's. The surrounding countries groaned. Great. That's all the world needed, another America.


	2. England and London

Arthur was very happy that the meeting was held in London. He did not fancy looking after a jetlagged child. The boy, Oliver, took in what he represented with wide awe-filled eyes. He gripped Arthur's hand a little tighter so as not to get lost in the people trying to push their way across the street. Within minutes of the meeting letting out, the downpour had begun and sent the previously busy but peaceful streets of London into a traffic jam of trying to avoid being soaked. Arthur was currently on his cell phone with the head of staff at his house instructing him to have another cup of tea ready, though a little cooler, and to try to find some clothing to fit a child.

The rain started to come down heavier and Arthur soon found himself pushing and shoving his way through the crowd, his pant legs soaked and his hair dripping additional ice drops onto his drowned shirt. Oliver almost had to jog to keep up with Arthur's longer legs and he clung desperately his new father's wet hand. He wasn't expecting a rough shove from the side and, to his horror, his small hand slid out of Arthur's as he landed in a deep muddy puddle. Picking himself up, he scanned the crowd for a head of unruly honey blond hair. Panic began to set in when he realized that Arthur was gone. He felt tears prick at the corner of his brownish-green eyes. Trying to be a strong little capital he figured that the best thing to do was to ask if somebody could tell him where Arthur lived. A little ways up the sidewalk he could see a small group of boys that looked about ten playing some sort of game. Gathering up his courage, he pushed his short blond hair out of the way of his face and made towards his fellow Englishmen. As he got closer, Oliver could see that they were prodding a large rat with sticks. He cleared his throat to get their attention. The one that appeared to be the leader regarded the soaked, muddy boy with distaste. Oliver clasped his hands in front of his mouth as he mumbled his question.

"Um…excuse me but do any of you happen to know where Arthur Kirkland lives?" The boys sneered as their leader looked the small boy up and down.

"Get lost; my dad says not to talk to street scum." The boy turned back to the rat and Oliver frowned and felt the tears returning.

"But I'm not street scum. I just lost my daddy and I need to find him." The boy turned back around and smiled, his eyes flashing with malice.

"Well we'll help you find your daddy, won't we boys." He said walking around Oliver and slinging an arm around his shoulders. Oliver followed him with his eyes, hopeful and trusting.

"You will?" Oliver was so focused on the boy beside him that he failed to notice the other three making a circle, putting him in the middle. The boy raised his eyebrows in fake assurance and nodded.

"Oh yeah, in fact I think we already found him for you." Oliver's eyes lit up in happiness and he looked around excitedly.

"Really? Where is he?" The boy's smile widened.

"He's right in here!" With that his shoved Oliver into the muddy water along with the rat. Oliver instantly found out why the rat had been there. The second he broke the surface of the puddle, garbage and debris from a backed up sewer pipe surrounded him. He started to cry as he pulled himself out and went to make towards the sidewalk only to be shoved right back into the filth by one of the other boys. He tried the other direction and was shoved again. The rat scratched his face and bit his hands in its distress. Finally he grabbed an old milk carton and flung it at one of them. Using the distraction to his advantage he raced through the opening towards an ally. His small legs didn't get him very far before he could hear them chasing him.

"Hey you never said thank you for our help urchin." Oliver cried as he ran, tripping over boxes and other trash. His knees were raw and bloody from the scrapes they sustained along with his small hands. It was too late when he realized that the ally was a dead end. He was pushed roughly against the wall and the front of his formally white nightgown was seized. He was shaken roughly and whimpered when the other boy raised a fist. He closed his eyes, waiting for the first hit.

"What's going on here?" Oliver opened his eyes and almost jumped for joy when he recognized the approaching figure.

"Daddy!" Arthur's eyes widened as he took in the state of his son. Brows furrowing in anger, he seized the other boy by the scruff.

"Unhand my son you little brat!" The boy released Oliver and looked up at Arthur with wide, scared eyes. "Don't ever let me catch you near him again you got that?" The boy nodded hurriedly. Arthur gave him a swat to the behind. "Do you understand?" The boy jumped and started to cry.

"Yes sir." Arthur nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, now go home; the lot of you." He released the boy and scooped up Oliver. Cradling him against his shoulder, Arthur made his way home.

The house was warm and cozy thanks to a roaring fireplace. Arthur slipped off his shoes and coat and carried the still soaked and trembling child up to the bathroom. Setting the boy on the toilet seat, Arthur turned to start a bath, testing the water every few minutes with his wrist until he was satisfied with the temperature. While he waited for the bath to fill, Arthur rummaged through the medicine cabinet for some bandages and anti-bacteria cream. Setting the items by the sink, Arthur pulled off the boy's nightgown, throwing it into the hamper to be washed, and lifted the boy into the bath. The time passed silently until Arthur had put the final bandage on the boy's knees. Oliver wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck and pressed a small kiss to his cheek.

"Thank you for saving me daddy." Arthur's face turned bright pink and he coughed.

"Yes…well um…you're welcome." The boy smiled widely and Arthur returned it with a small smile of his own. "Now how about that tea and scones?"

"Yes please."

After the small dinner, Arthur carried the sleepy boy up the stairs and into the guestroom. He tucked him into bed and chuckled quietly. The boy looked so small in his shirt and wrapped in the large comforter. Oliver opened his eyes sleepily.

"Goodnight daddy." Arthur smiled softly and ruffled the boy's hair.

"Goodnight Oliver." He left the door open a little with the hall light on, just in case the little guy was scared of the dark. He made his way down the stairs and sat in the old armchair by the window, marveling about the unexpected yet beloved surprise that had wandered into his life.


	3. France and Paris

Francis opened the door and ushered his new charge inside hurriedly, the windstorm that was assaulting the city of Paris trying to claw them back out. Madeline immediately sat down on the carpet and gave a large over dramatic sigh of relief. Francis smiled at the little girl and set the notes from the meeting on the small table by the coatrack, if angry mutterings towards a certain Brit could be considered notes. He then made his way towards the kitchen with the two bags of groceries to start on dinner. He wanted to make something special for his Petite Chère (Little Darling). He hummed as he turned on the stove and laid out all the ingredients. It had taken a lot of thought but he finally decided to make crepes for dinner. He didn't want to overwhelm her with the culture on her first night, besides a larger meal might not sit well with her after the plane ride.

He set a large cast iron frying pan onto the red hot element and set about making the batter. He could hear Madeline taking in her new home as she slowly made her way towards the kitchen. Soon enough he heard her little feet pattering on the tales that covered the kitchen floor. He turned to greet her and was met with quiet giggles. During his musings, Francis had gotten flour up one side of his face and batter on his nose. Realizing this Francis began to chuckle along with her, crossing his eyes to look at his nose so she would laugh harder. He picked her up and set her on the counter beside the large mixing bowl. She watched in fascination as Francis continued to cook, pouring the batter thinly over the hot surface and flipping it with expert ease. When the final one was set onto the plate to the side, Francis turned off the element and took the frying pan over to the sink to be washed. First he turned on the cold water in order to cool the pan then switching to hot and began to scrub. Madeline, not wanting to miss a single thing her papa did, made to get up and walk along the counter over to him. As she moved into a half crouch, her foot slipped and she fell to the side. Her hand shot out immediately in order to catch herself, the small appendage landing on the still red element. There was a sizzling sound followed by a shrill scream that made Francis jump. He quickly ran over to the small girl and carried her over to the sink. While he waited for the water to turn cold again, he inspected the burn. He doubted that it would leave a scar but that didn't mean it hurt any less. He hummed to the girl to calm her as he ran the small hand under the cold water. Then he reached on top of the fridge for the first aid kit. He had learned to keep one in every room after being Alfred's baby sitter on more than one occasion. He rummaged through it, hoping that he still had everything well stocked.

"Papa, is it going to hurt?" A teary eyed voice sounded from behind him. Francis turned and gave her a comforting smile before continuing to go through the kit.

"Well the anti-bacterial cream might sting a bit but that's a good thing. It means that your boo-boo is all nice and clean afterwards." Francis turned back to the sink only to discover Madeline gone, the tap still running where her hand had been. "Madeline? Madeline where are you?" He turned off the water and walked out of the kitchen. He saw the edges of a white nightgown disappear behind the corner. "Madeline come back right now." His only answer was her small feet running down the hall.

After chasing her through three rooms, Francis had given up on running. She was much smaller than he was and could easily slip under furniture. Besides he was simply wasting energy that he was sure he would need later. He grumbled to himself in aggravation, none of the other children he had cared for had ever been this much trouble. He mentally hoped that she didn't find the stairs as hunting for her on the ground floor was hard enough. His hopes were dashed however when he heard the telltale sound of hurried steps on them. He heaved an exhausted sigh. It was going on eight o'clock and they had yet to eat dinner. On top of catching her and dealing with the burn, Francis still had to give her a bath and get her into bed. He was already exhausted and the night had only just begun. He trudged up the stairs, briefly debating to call Antonio in to help or not. He decided against it. If he couldn't handle his own capital on his own then he was one sorry excuse for a nation.

The upstairs hallway was dark and the windows rattled as the storm built up to its crescendo. There were three rooms upstairs and then the door leading to the attic. He first checked the guest bedroom, then the bathroom. The attic door was locked, keeping all the horrible memories at bay, so the only place left was his room. He smiled triumphantly; he had finally cornered the elusive little girl. Closing the door behind him he made sure that the lock was secure before setting out to search the usual hiding spots. The closet was clear and so was under the bed. He was about to leave, thinking she had snuck past him back down stairs, when the unmade covers on his bed gave a small sniffle. He sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed.

"La Petite (Little One), why are you making this difficult?" The covers shifted slightly and the small voice wavered as it answered.

"It's gonna hurt papa. I don't like things that hurt." Francis sighed again; he was doing that an awful lot of that lately.

"Madeline, it will only hurt for a little bit and if I don't put the cream on then the burn will hurt a lot more later on. Believe me." Her small face popped out from under the covers, red from crying and running through the house. She reluctantly held out her hand and Francis dabbed the burn with the disinfectant and wrapped it in soft bandages. "Now let's go eat before they get too cold." Madeline smiled and took his offered hand.

The rest of the night passed without incident and as Francis searched through his library for a story fit to read to a child, he thought over the little girl, his little Paris. He loved surprises, but this had to be his favorite. Unexpected yes, but beloved all the same. When the maid went to investigate the light that remained on in the guest room, she found Madeline asleep with Francis propped up beside her, book still in hand.


	4. Russia and Moscow

Ivan opened the wooden door to the mansion quietly, in hopes of not disturbing the child in his arms before it was absolutely necessary. The Baltics hurried towards the Russian from wherever they had been and quickly greeted him before Ivan had a chance to tell them to keep their voices down. Too late. The slumbering child shifted before sleepy violet eyes slowly opened. Ivan shot a swift glare at the trio before smiling down at his capital, his beloved Moscow.

"Ah so sorry to wake you Vladimir but we are home da, and it time to be taking off coats now da." Ivan had taken one look at the child's simple attire before they boarded the plane and had made a quick detour to get the poor thing a coat. Unfortunately he had been unable to purchase any boots for the boy before their plane was scheduled to leave. Instead Ivan had undone his own coat, cradled the boy against his chest coat and all and then wrapped his own coat back up. It would not do for his Дорогая (Dear One) to get cold.

He set Vladimir down on the thin carpet and removed the small coat. Vladimir looked at him questioningly when Ivan remained in his outside attire.

"I had best be meeting with General Winter now da and you had best be getting further inside and warming up. Lithuania will turn up the heat some more. We wouldn't want your little toes to fall off during the night." At this Ivan tickled the boy beneath his chin until giggles sprung forth. Toris shifted a bit before stepping forward to present the bad news, hoping that Ivan would remain in a good mood due to the child.

"Um sir, t-the storm has k-knocked out all the power lines. W-we're currently running on t-the backup generator." Ivan's violet eyes flashed and Toris took a step back in fear. Vladimir, seeming to have just noticed Toris was there, beamed happily.

"Hey, I'm Vladimir and represent Moscow." Toris gave a shaky smile, afraid to take his eyes off Ivan.

"Hello young master." Ivan smiled approvingly at the respect Toris immediately showed before sighing.

"Prepare the mansion, get the firewood from the basement and put it only in the necessary rooms." Before he left, Ivan swooped Vladimir up into another bear hug before kissing his nose and promising to be back soon. Vladimir turned around after the door closed to discover Toris missing. He shrugged assuming that he had run off to follow his папы (Papa's) command. He wandered into the living room and sat beside a large deep red armchair. Something just told him that the chair was папы special spot. So he just leaned against it, leaned against the deep red cushions that had once upon a time been a pristine white. A few minutes later Toris came back up from the basement, looking panicked. Vladimir looked over from Eduard and Ravis, who had just introduced themselves.

"We're out of wood." That simple sentence was all it took to send the three nations into absolute mental breakdowns. Ravis went so far as to break down crying and curl up in the corner proclaiming that they were all going to freeze to death. At that Toris quickly got a hold of himself. "Alright everyone calm down, I have a plan. Eduard and Ravis, I want you two to start on dinner. I'll go chop some wood and hopefully be back before Ivan." Eduard mulled it over before quiet humming made him look down at the one occupant that had been ignored.

"What about Vladimir? We can't keep him in the kitchen; he looks why too much like Ivan and its scaring Ravis." 'Not to mention that cooking is the only time we can vent about Ivan' he wanted to add but refrained from doing so. Toris looked down at the boy and debated for a moment. To leave him with the other two Baltics was to deny them the right to vent but to take him outside was inviting Ivan's wrath should even a scratch befall the boy.

"I'll take him to get firewood with me." So it was settled, Vladimir was wrapped back up in his coat and found a set of Ravis's old boots.

The Russian wilderness had been smothered in a blanket of white and Toris fought tooth and nail to get through it. He now understood why the wood chopping was always left to Ivan, he had barely gone two meters from the house and already he was exhausted. The little capital at his side was not making things easier, running off into the snow drifts happily proclaiming that there was snow. As if he wasn't already aware. It took almost an hour to gather enough logs to last the night. Just as he was about to call for Vladimir, a snowball struck him in the back of the head followed by a series of giggles. He smiled at the little capital and gathered up a handful of snow himself. He purposefully through it a least a foot away from the boy, startling the young of an elk herd. Toris didn't have time to think over what happened before the mother was charging towards the two. He jumped out of the way quickly as she raced past him. Completely soaked in snow and freezing, Toris climbed out of a snow bank and looked around for Vladimir.

Vladimir felt hot tears staining his face as he lay in the snow clenching a sprained ankle. He couldn't figure out why the mama moose was so mad, it was just a little snow. His heart sped up and he sobbed when he saw her turning to charge back at him and he couldn't move out of the way. As she drew closer he frantically tried to crawl backwards, sobbing hysterically. She was almost on top of him when Vladimir came to the conclusion that he couldn't get away and was going to die right there. He curled up into a ball and screamed.

"папа (Papa)!" The elk was thrown to the side as Ivan's boots were planted firmly in front of his son. His face was contorted into a mask of indescribable fury and was well passed the stage that his 'Kol Kol Kol's' would signal his growing anger. The elk, seeming to sense the threat that Ivan posed, backed away until it could run from Ivan's aura with the rest of the herd. Ivan turned and scooped up his little Moscow, cradling him and whispering words of comfort in Russian. Toris was wary about approaching the two but Ivan had already spotted him.

"You useless utter incompetent!" Toris flinched as Ivan advanced on him, even with the terrified child curled up in his arms, Ivan was terrifying. He opened his mouth to continue shouting at the trembling nation when he looked down at his son and shook his head. "We'll finish this later Lithuania." Toris could only nod and follow the other back to the mansion, his arms overflowing with wood.

For the rest of the evening, Ivan spoke only in chillingly harsh tones with the Baltics then switching to that sweet comforting voice when addressing Vladimir. After a warm bowl of soup, Vladimir sat sideways on Ivan's lap while Toris bandaged the swollen ankle.

"Owie Toris, too tight!" Ivan flashed the trembling man another death glare and Toris hastily loosened the bandage. Ivan agreed to read to his Vladimir for the rest of the night, stopping only when it was time for a bath.

Ivan set the boy in front of him in the warm water, careful not to jostle Vladimir's ankle and cupped his hands together to gather some water in them before pouring it over the snow blond hair so similar to his own. Hearing a giggle, he smiled and met a pair of violet eyes also near identical to his own. The boy turned fully to face him and gathered some water in his own small hands before pouring it on Ivan's head. Quickly before the child pulled away to sit back down in the tub, Ivan kissed his nose and chuckled as Vladimir wiggled his nose slightly. He leaned back against the cool wall of the tub and watched Vladimir play with the bubbles from the shampoo with a small smile. He cautiously climbed out and wrapped a towel around his waist before pulling the plug and pulling Vladimir out. He wrapped the fluffiest towel he could find around the small shoulders and tried the pale skin carefully before pulling one of his old shirts out and slipping it onto the boy. Even though it had been from the depression and no longer fit the huge Russian, Vladimir was dwarfed in it. Chuckling at the adorable image, Ivan slipped into a pair of dark blue pajama pants and a black tank top. Vladimir had to sleep in Ivan's room because none of the fireplaces in the any of the uninhabited guest rooms could be lit due to not having been properly cleaned out. Neither minded really. Snuggling into Ivan's chest, Vladimir tried to stay awake until the end of the story, but he was full and warm and soon found himself drifting off. Ivan looked down at the boy with a smile before closing the book and kissing his forehead. He slid out from under the covers and tucked them securely around the still slumbering child. He slipped into his day clothes and stalked out of the room in search of a certain Baltic.

Toris thought it was all over when he saw Ivan disappear with Vladimir for the evening bath. In fact it wasn't really that bad. Sure Ivan had been a lot harsher in his speaking and general body language when directed towards the three nations but maybe the child was softening him. Toris was confident that Ivan was done with Toris's punishment, until he opened his eyes to find Ivan looming over him in the dark. He froze for a moment but in that moment Ivan noticed he was awake. The Russian seized him by his hair and dragged him down into the basement. Tying the sobbing nation to a pipe, Ivan allowed his skin to freeze due to the cold of the metal while he looked through his toys. He had to choose wisely as to what would bring the most pain. He looked back at the pathetic heap and scowled. This was the scum that brought his little one pain. His gloved hands closed around the wooden base of the knout. He smiled fondly at the long whip before snapping it at the trembling nation's back. Soon the silence of the mansion rang with Toris's screams.

Vladimir groggily looked around the now dark room. He thought he heard someone screaming, and when he really listened he still could. Slowly he slid off the bed and made his way cautiously through the halls following the screams as they grew louder the closer he got to the basement. He swallowed his rising fear. What if this thing that was making this person scream had got his папа? He was about to run back to bed and hide when another thought occurred to him. What if his папа needed him and he was running away like a coward? Steeling his resolve, Vladimir made his way down the steps, determined to help in any way he could. As he reached the last few steps he could make out a voice over the whimpering. It was his папа.

"You will never bring harm to my Драгоценные сокровища (Precious Treasure) again da." Vladimir looked around the corner to see Toris slumped against a pipe with long bloody gashes down his back. A small puddle had formed at his feet from when he had lost control of his bladder in fear and was slowly mixing with the blood. Vladimir had never seen anything like this, it was beautiful. He giggled and Ivan turned, shock and horror written all over his face until Vladimir smiled at him. A smile that looked so much like his own.

"Can I try папа?" Ivan nodded and handed him the whip, moving with him the first time to show him how. It was an unexpected surprise but a beloved one. He finally had an appreciative audience to his art.

"Я люблю тебя папа (I love you Papa)"

"Я люблю тебя до, Мой драгоценное сокровище (I love you to, My Precious Treasure)"

**Author's Note**

Sorry it is so late today '^^. Ivan is my favorite character so his will be a little longer I also will tolerate **NO** dissing of him!


	5. Germany and Berlin

**Author's note!**

**Alright first and foremost I am SOOOO sorry that this took so long and is still crap! I have writer's block for this story. Thanks to all those that hung in there! Also thanks to those that reviewed and added this to their favorites/alerts. Now there's a special not at the end so please read it!**

Ludwig shrugged the door open, his arms full of groceries, and mentally prayed that his brother was not home. He knew that the odds weren't likely but he could hope right. Niklas followed him inside, his own small arms carrying two loafs of bread. He stopped briefly just inside the door to wipe his feet on the mat before following his Vatti (Dad) further into the house. Ludwig walked into the kitchen and placed his load on the counter before removing the bread from Niklas's arms. He sighed as he observed the pile; Gilbert was eating him out of house and home again. He shook his head and looked down at a far more innocent set of ice blue eyes. Niklas's blond hair was messy from his nap on the plane and his feet as well as the edges of the nightgown were filthy from the walk home. Ludwig had known for days that Berlin was in for a major storm and as luck would have it they had gotten caught in the middle of it as they left the store. He knew that in a couple hours thunder would shake the house and lightning would light up the sky.

"You will be alright with potatoes and wurst for dinner ja?" Ludwig rubbed the back of his head, unused to caring for a child.

"Ja vatti. May I help?" Ludwig's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Ja that'd be nice." Before the two could do anything, a large crash was heard from the basement followed by a long stream of German curses. Niklas jumped and clung to his vatti's pant leg. There was someone in vatti's house! He looked up to study Ludwig's reaction and mimic it. He blinked when Ludwig glared at the door to the basement with annoyance. A few seconds later a red eyed albino appeared, rubbing his head and muttering darkly. Upon noticing Ludwig, he broke into a nervous smile and forced out a laugh.

"West! Ha ha I uh…didn't think you'd be home so fast." Ludwig continued to glare.

"Fast enough to catch you not looking for a job like you promised you would." Gilbert chuckled slightly.

"Aw come on West you know I'm not cut out for this kinda stuff." Ludwig's scowl deepened and Gilbert shifted nervously. Suddenly he caught sight of the boy by his brother's feet.

"That's no excu-" He was cut off as Gilbert raced over and picked up Niklas.

"Mein Gott (My God) it's a miny West!" Ludwig sighed, knowing that to continue this speech would be useless.

"Gilbert this is Niklas the representative of Berlin, Niklas this is your uncle Gilbert." Gilbert burst into his 100 watt smile. He'd never admit it but he loved children. In general he loved cute things and his new nephew was pretty much the cutest thing of all.

"Wow kid ain't you lucky. You've got the awesomeness known as Prussia as your uncle! Hey West mind if I take this one into the living room. I want to get to know him." Ludwig smirked.

"You can get to know him while I cook-" Gilbert beamed.

"Thanks West I own ya o-"

"And you put away the groceries." Gilbert's smile faded instantly.

"Huh? B-but Ludwig…" Gilbert whined and clung to his brother's arm. Ludwig shook his head and pried Gilbert's fingers loose.

"You already agreed besides I'm teaching Niklas how to make wurst." Niklas looked up from where he had been placed on the counter when Gilbert tried to worm his way out of doing any work.

"Yes let's make wurst." Ludwig smiled, it was two against one and Gilbert knew he couldn't win. Gilbert swore violently and suddenly became familiar with the floor as Ludwig hit upside the back of the head. The rest of the evening passed without incident, well other than a call from a distraught Italian.

Ludwig tucked the covers around a fresh out of the bath Niklas. He kissed the boy's forehead and flicked off the light, leaving the door open slightly just in case. He settled down in his own bed and within moments was asleep completely forgetting about the storm that was brewing.

It was either very late or very early. That was the first thing that Ludwig thought when he was awoken by someone crawling into his bed. The second thought was that there was a lot of noise. Glancing down he saw Niklas curled up against his chest, shuddering with every clap of thunder.

"Are you afraid of the thunder little one?" Niklas's trembling increased.

"It's breaking me apart vatti. Boom boom boom and I fall apart. And it hurts! The fall hurts, the fire hurts, it all hurts!" Ludwig's eyes widened in realization. It wasn't thunder to Niklas, it was bombs. The bombing of Berlin. Ludwig pulled the boy closer and rubbed his back soothingly.

"You wanna stay in here tonight?" Niklas nodded miserably. Ludwig pulled the boy under the covers and ran his fingers through the blond hair until Niklas was asleep. Ludwig looked down at his son, his Berlin, his unexpected but beloved surprise.

**2****nd**** Author's note**

**I'll leave it up to reviewers to decide what Italy was freaking about. Also I need ideas for Japan and China. If anyone cares I posted my second Hetalia fic. It's a TurkeyxRussia with Russia as the uke and they have a kid. Can't help it I love this pairing and they're two of my favorite characters. Again thanks to all those that have stayed with this and given it such good views!**


	6. Italy and Rome

**Author's note!**

**Bloody Hell this is short and terrible…sorry people I have no idea how to right for Italy while doing it justice. So it turns out something like this. Updates will be a little less frequent as I'm sure you've noticed. This is because school is back in session and I am swamped! Anyway please review, they equal love. And if you care to check out my second Hetalia fic, I also updated that one. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Feliciano skipped happily into the house he shared with his brother Romano, Carla perched on his shoulder. He had returned to find that Italy had finally broken out of its heat wave and went about celebrating with the child. Two bowls of ice cream and a siesta later, the two brunettes returned home. Feliciano had been complimented on his cute little daughter at almost every block, and as he set her down on the ground, he could tell why. Her hair was a warm golden brown that matched her near golden eyes. She was small with a slightly chubby face that screamed of childish innocence. Complete with the gravity defying hair curl she was nothing short of irresistibly cute. It looked as if Romano had decided to have Antonio drop by, if the Spaniard's shoes by the door were anything to go by. Or rather Romano had insulted him over the phone for twenty minutes and Antonio, knowing Romano far too well, had taken up on the invitation. Currently the two were sitting on the couch, Antonio's arm draped over Romano's shoulders and the latter complaining and insulting the Spaniard but doing nothing to remove the appendage. Romano stopped his speech about stupid Spanish bastards when his gaze landed on his brother, more specifically the child at his brother's feet.

"Feli you idiot! What have I told you about bringing home every child that wants to talk to you? Now take that thing back to where ever you found it!" Italy's smile wavered.

"B-but fratello (_brother_) she is-" Romano shook his head angrily.

"I don't give a crap who she is! You take her back this very second you bastard!" Carla looked between the two arguing Italians with wide eyes. The man her papa was speaking with, her uncle, didn't want her. He wanted papa to take her back. She didn't want to go back, that place hurt. She didn't know how she got there all she remembered was crying. She had been crying in pain while Berlin tried to calm her. She could hear his grunts and moans of pain as he fought his own distress. She could hear Paris crying as well and London and Washington screaming their agony to the sky. To her side she could just make out Beijing and Tokyo clinging to each other as they groaned. Just in front of her was Moscow on his knees with his forehead pressed to the ground, his small fists ripped up clumps of dirt and she could just barely hear him whimpering. No she couldn't go back there, not without Berlin to keep her strong.

Romano was finished arguing. He shoved his brother out of the way and made towards the girl. He'd take the child back himself. All he had to do is ask the girl where her mother was. As his hand reached for the trembling, teary-eyed child, another hand landed on his shoulder. At first he thought that it was Antonio but then the person spoke.

"Romano Varges, I swear, if you touch my capital you will regret it." Romano had not heard such a tone from Feliciano since…ever. Romano stared wide eyed at how he addressed the child. That little girl was Rome! He whipped back around to study her only to find the space empty. The two Italians looked around the space thinking she might have just gone to sit down. After a thorough check of the room, it was determined that the child was not there and the three nations rushed to check the rest of the house. Antonio tackled the kitchen and basement, Romano took the guest bedrooms and bathroom and Feliciano took the master bedroom. After turning up fruitless, Feliciano hurried to the phone to call Ludwig. The German answered on the third ring to be met with an onslaught of Italian.

"Feli calm down I can't understand you." Feliciano took several deep breaths.

"R-R-R-Rome is g-g-g-gone! Fratello scared her away. I don't know what to do Ludwig, I've checked everywhere. What if something happens to her?" On the other end, Ludwig paled.

"Alright you checked the closets?"

"Yes."

"The kitchen cabinets?"

"Uh huh."

"Under the covers?"

"There too." The Italians voice started to waver

"Under your bed?" Silence. "You did check under your bed right?" He heard the telltale sounds of a phone being dropped and feet running up the stairs. A few seconds later the Italian's voice rang out.

"Bambina (_Child_) you must not frighten papa like that." Ludwig smiled and hung up the phone. "Now come downstairs and eat dinner with Uncle Romano and Uncle Antonio." Antonio smiled happily.

"Isn't this great? A cute, beloved little surprise." Romano huffed.

"Was too unexpected." Antonio laughed at the other until Romano head butted him.


	7. China,Japan,Bejing and Tokyo

**Author's note!**

**Yes I looped China and Japan together. The reason…I was running out of ideas! Now that that's out of the way, happy news. America's chapter should be up tonight or tomorrow *throws confetti* After that I can finally explain where our beloved surprises came from. Thanks to everyone for their reviews so far :3 oh by the way mrgh- *is pulled away by Turkey***

**Turkey: Enjoy everyone.**

**Hey that was my line!**

**Turkey: Hush now love.**

Yao heaved an exhausted sigh as he led Bao, Kiku and Asuka inside. Kiku's flight had been cancelled so Yao and offered to house him and Asuka for the night. What he didn't expect was for his own flight to be delayed. The sun was starting to disappear behind the horizon when the four finally made it to the beautiful house on the outskirts of town. It wouldn't have been so bad; a good meal, a hot bath and then into a soft bed. But Yao had forgotten what it was like to deal with a grumpy child, and now there were two of them.

"I don't wanna go to bed!" Yao winced as Bao thrashed in his arms. He wished the boy would be more like Asuka. The black haired, brown eyed girl just whined quietly in her irritation. Instead he was faced with the fiery brown haired, golden eyed boy that had a problem with almost everything Yao attempted to get him to do. A sudden kick to the stomach made him drop the child.

"Aiya! Get back here right now aru." Yao didn't really expect the child to listen and was in no way surprised when the boy simply continued to run down the hall. Shaking his head and sighing, Yao made his way after the child.

"Asuka, you must listen to me. I'm your father and I know what is best for you." Kiku could feel the beginnings of a headache but tried to stay calm. Asuka however made no such promise. Kiku gasped when her small foot met his shin. He righted himself and turned, just to see the edges of her kimono vanish around the corner. Running after her, Kiku gasped in horror when he saw the front door wide open.

Yao had checked almost every room in the house. Rounding the corner he paled, noticing the back door swinging back and forth in the wind. He raced out, quickly surveying the garden, heart sinking when that turned up empty as well. He didn't want to think about the danger the child could get into. The back of the house was surrounded by thick jungle and just because it was a small village did not mean that bad people weren't lurking around. Both he and Kiku failed to notice the other until they collided.

"Have you seen Bao?"

"Did you see Asuka?" The two stared at each other for a minute before jumping up and continuing their searches, frantically calling out the names of the two capitals.

Bao excitedly tugged along a smiling Asuka as they raced through the streets of the small town, upturning stands and knocking people over. The two raced around a corner only to run square into someone and that someone didn't fall over. Two arms raised to steady the children as an unfamiliar language assaulted their ears. He seemed to be trying to tug them along with him. Bao's eyes widened. He remembered hearing something about this. If you went with the person no one would ever see you again. He kneed the stranger in the groin, grabbed Auska's hand and sprinted down another street. Stopping to gasp for what breath they could, the two surveyed the area. The street was bustling with the nightlife, bright neon signs, voices growing steadily louder and the heady scent of tobacco, food and liquor. There was no sign of how to get back home. Suddenly the two were scooped up by the man from earlier. They struggled to break free, kicking, biting and scratching.

"Do not be afraid, little ones."

Back at the house, Yao and Kiku had collapsed onto the front stairs with a map of the village.

"They could be anywhere aru." Yao hung his head in shame, he was a terrible parent. Kiku rested a hand on the other's shoulder in sympathy.

"It is not your fault." Whatever Yao was going to say was cut off by the sound of approaching feet.

"Look what I found de ze." Nestled within the arms of the hyperactive nation known as Korea was Bao and Asuka. The two raced for their capitals, mumbling their thanks to their brother. "They're not hurt, just exhausted. Little buggers kicked me in the balls." The three laughed quietly to avoid waking the finally slumbering children. "So which one of the other nations gave you the beloved, unexpected surprise?"

"Aiya! They're our capitals aru!"

"Oh."


	8. America and Washington

**Author's note!**

**Yes the final capital is Washington. Just so everyone knows, these will be the only capitals. Remember to review they equal love and next chapter will be up asap.**

Alfred and Amanda raced through the front door, burgers and chocolate milkshakes in hand. Alfred jumped on the couch and started shaking his hips in a victory dance while Amanda alternated between pouting and giggling at him. Finally the two collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion and slowly began to finish their meals. Alfred gave a heavy sigh before pulling himself back up to his feet.

"Alright kiddo, I gotta do some work for a bit. This amazing country doesn't run itself." Amanda looked up from licking sauce off her hand.

"Ok dad, but afterwards we have to play hide and go seek chase me." Alfred smiled.

"Deal kiddo." Alfred sat down in front of the small mountain of paperwork and sighed. He grabbed one off the top of the pile and steeled his hand for the cramp it was sure to have.

Three hours later, he set the last one onto the finished pile and leapt to his feet. He raced into the living room and grabbed Amanda from her place in front of the TV. She squealed in surprise as she was hoisted up onto Alfred's shoulders before laughing.

"Faster dad!" He ran to the backyard and set Amanda down before proclaiming he was 'it' first and turned to count. Amanda turned and sprinted towards the tool shed. Hiding herself under an old tarp, she waited for her dad to come find her. Within minutes, the door to the shed opened and the steady sound of boots made its way across the floor towards her hiding spot. The tarp was ripped off to reveal Alfred's smiling face. She screamed in surprise and made a dash to the door, Alfred hot on her heels. They played a few more rounds before it got too dark, and then Alfred took his capital inside to get some food. After eating the burgers that Alfred fried up on the grill, the two finished with large bowls of chocolate pudding. Midway through the treat, Alfred's phone rang and he left the kitchen to answer it. He rubbed his eyes; there was another hurricane warning for Florida. He cringed as the memories from Katrina were brought back to the surface. He had been curled up I bed for two days. He shook his head soundly to clear those thoughts away and plastered a smile on his face for Amanda.

"Sorry about that kiddo but the work of a hero is never done but everyth-" He stopped and looked around at the warzone that was the kitchen. Chocolate pudding was smeared all over the table, floor and walls. Handprints covered the fridge and stove and small footprints led towards the living room. Following them, he found that room in the same state as well as every other until he found Amanda in the backyard, covered in a mix of chocolate pudding and mud. Panicking slightly he ran back to the phone and dialed an all too familiar number.

Arthur shifted in his sleep, thinking the ringing phone to be a dream until it rang again. Cursing under his breath, he got up and made his way over to the phone.

"Yes, Kirkland residence." Arthur yanked the phone away from his ear when the reply came through.

"Iggy, I need your help!"

"Alfred you bloody git! Do you have any idea what time it is! If you want people to help you try calling at a reasonable hour!"

"But Iggy-" _click_ Alfred looked at the phone is disbelief. Arthur had hung up on him. He grabbed his contact book and flipped through the pages.

France sighed and hung up.

Germany yelled at him for the timing of the call.

Italy fell asleep on the phone.

No answer at Japan's house.

China picked up the phone and immediately hung up.

And then there was that weird number that was listed as his brother.

Alfred sighed; there was only one number left. It didn't have a name beside it but he figured he'd try it anyway. The phone rang five times and Alfred was about to hang up when he heard the sleepy voice of a certain Russian.

"Hello?" He could hear the other yawn from being disturbed from sleep and laughed nervously.

"Sorry dude wrong number I guess…but um…look you've got a good handle on Moscow right?" There was a slight pause and Alfred was worried that the other might have hung up.

"You are having problems da?" Alfred's shoulders slumped and he proceeded to tell Ivan the whole story.

"All I know is that chocolate makes children happy." He heard the other sigh.

"Yes well it seems that Amanda is very happy. Did you attempt to give her a nap?" Alfred blinked.

"A what?"

"A nap and by your response I am guessing no. Therein lays your problem. The child is grumpy and you mixed it with sugar which created this. Try a nap every day at around one o'clock. Goodbye." Alfred hung up the phone and went to find Amanda. After giving her a quick bath and tucking her into bed, he set about cleaning up the house after his unexpected but beloved surprise.


	9. Beginnings

Arthur studied the child sitting in the large armchair in the corner. He looked so small and innocent sitting with a too large book in his lap. He set the tray of tea and scones down on the small table and sat in the opposite armchair. Lacing his fingers together, he thought about how to word his question.

"How did you get here?" Blue eyes looked up at Francis from the glass of milk. He had been teaching Madeline to cook all morning. The two had taken a break for refreshments. Francis had poured the girl a tall glass of milk before fixing some coffee for himself and setting a plate of cookies between them.

"Do you remember anything?" Ludwig looked down at the boy who had been playing quietly while the elder worked through his paperwork. He hadn't meant to say anything but the questions had been eating away at him since the night before. He needed to know if the boy had attained the knowledge of the Bombing of Berlin after his creation or if he had been created with knowledge already there. If so, did he resent Ludwig for the war?

"Do you hate me?" Vladimir looked up from putting on a pair of gloves. Ivan was focusing on tying the laces on his son's new boots. Ivan had realized far too late into the bonding session the night before that the boy had been barefoot. When they went to bed, Ivan had tucked the boy's then slightly purple feet between his thighs to warm them and enveloped the small hands in in own larger one.

"For what happened I mean." Amanda tossed the baseball slowly back and forth in her hands. Alfred plucked at a loose string on his glove and shifted his weight from foot to foot. The day had been perfect for a game of catch and before he knew it, Alfred was bombarding the child with questions.

"Did you know anything about us?" Yao just kept walking, refusing to meet Bao's eyes though he could feel them. The bags in his hand suddenly felt heavier and the dirt beneath his feet seemed to cling to his shoes as if it was quicksand. He didn't want to admit that he was slightly afraid of the answers he might receive.

"As individuals or as a country?" Kiku went through the motions of making rice balls, his attention focused on Asuka. She bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brow. Kiku gulped inaudibly and immediately focused back on the rice balls. It seemed the answer would not be one he would like.

"How did you know you were my capital?" Feliciano set the stuffed rabbit down. He looked at Carla who had titled her head to the side, the stuffed bear still in hand.

"Where ever I came from, it was dark and cold." Oliver closed his eyes as he began the tale.

"I woke up in the grass just off the porch where the bosses were meeting." Madeline pressed a finger to her chin in thought.

"It hurt so much." Niklas's fists clenched the fabric of his pant legs.

"It felt like red hot needles were puncturing every inch of my skin." Vladimir shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself.

"I couldn't really see or hear anything except the other capitals." Amanda tossed the ball over into Alfred's waiting glove.

"Then it was like someone poured nice cool water over me and I could hear the bosses asking who we were." Bao carefully jumped from one large rock to another.

"I couldn't remember much but even if I could I wasn't angry with you. None of us were." Asuka placed a calming hand on Kiku's arm and gave a small smile.

Carla looked down at the bear and smiled.

"I don't know how but I just knew that I was Rome."

"Tokyo."

"Beijing."

"Washington."

"Moscow."

"Berlin."

"Paris."

"London."

Feliciano beamed and picked up the rabbit to resume playing.

Kiku gave a small smile and offered Asuka a rice ball.

Yao laughed and began to jump rocks along with the boy.

Alfred cheered and threw the glove into the air before picking Amanda up and spinning her around.

Ivan embraced the boy warmly before handing him a small metal pear shaped instrument and they both turned to a still bound Toris.

Ludwig smiled shyly and joined Niklas on the floor with the plastic army.

Francis chuckled, and then jumped, remembering the soufflé in the oven.

Arthur patted the boys head, then set him on his lap and proceeded to read the tales of Camelot aloud.

**Alright there you have it, where the unexpected but beloved surprises came from. For those who are wondering, NO Ivan was not being perverted. Between the thighs happens to be one of the warmest places on human body along with the underarms and between the buttocks. Anyway you know the drill review and all that jazz. Until next time.**

**~R. W. 666**


	10. PunishmentRussian style

**So sorry for the long wait but it has been exam time and well ya…yours truly has been swamped with studying. Anyway I'm back and ready to keep writing, though updates may be less frequent as I am working on my novel that I hope to have off to publishers by the end of April. But I have not abandoned this or my other Hetalia fic that seems to be slowly gaining popularity. **

Ivan looked out the ice covered window and sighed. He had to meet with his boss for a few hours and he was unable to take Vladimir along with him. His boss would flip at the sight of the boy. Looking over at his bed, Ivan smiled at the still slumbering child. A room had been prepared for the boy just down the hall but every night since their first night together Vladimir had snuck into Ivan's bed. Ivan didn't question it, simply glad that his capital wanted to be close to him. He walked over to the bed and gently shook the boy's shoulder. Vladimir rolled over to face him and smiled; his violet eyes sleepy. He yawned and reached out his arms, showing his desire to be held. Ivan scooped up the child and carried him down to the breakfast table where a limping and pale Lithuania was setting out the food. After grabbing some cushions from the living room and setting them on Vladimir's chair, Ivan set the boy at the table and began to dish out some food for the two of them. Midway through the meal, Ivan set his fork down and cleared his throat.

"Vladimir, I have to go to a meeting today so I need you to behave while I'm gone." Vladimir licked some sauce of his fingers and nodded. "Can you repeat what the rules are for while I'm not here?"

"No playing with sharp things, stay out of папы (_Papa's_) vodka cabinet, and no going into the basement while папа (_papa_) is not at home." He counted them off on his fingers and Ivan nodded. Those weren't his exact words but it was the basic gist of it. It was enough to let him know that the child understood what was being asked of him. Ivan finished his breakfast before standing and, after kissing the top of Vladimir's head, walked out the door and begun making his way into town. After practically licking his plate clean, Vladimir carefully jumped down from his chair and set off to discover the game for the day.

Vladimir prowled around the house during his game of explore. The staircase and entryway became a safari where he conquered lions and elephants. The living room was a fast and dense jungle where he had to avoid giant snakes and crocodiles. He made sure to steer clear of the basement door. He knew why папа didn't want him down there. There were a lot of things down there that could hurt someone so small. Ivan had an extensive collection of traps for animals and humans and Vladimir was not particularly keen on finding out firsthand how much they hurt. As a trip through the deepest, darkest ocean, aka the kitchen, led him to encounter a Great White Shark, Vladimir was forced to seek safety atop a large mass of coral, or the countertops. Carefully crawling along to avoid drawing the beast's attention, Vladimir thought of how he could get away. He could wait for папа to come home. Ivan would have little trouble dispatching the shark and the shark would swim away at the mere sight of him anyway, his папа was the best monster scarer away ever. But what would that make him look like? He didn't want to seem weak. Unknown to Vladimir, he had unconsciously continued to inch his way along the counter top. Faltering at the end, he seized a cabinet door, which swung open with his weight, to avoid falling. Breathing out in relief, Vladimir turned to investigate the contents of what he had discovered. Rows of glass bottles full of clear liquid gleamed in the light of the kitchen. It was папы vodka cabinet. Vladimir's face paled as he remembered the rules but the light shining off the bottles looked so inviting. He had seen папа drink it all the time so there was obviously nothing wrong with it. He was confident with the thought as his small hand reached for one of the smaller bottles.

'_Or it could be like the traps in the basement that only папа knows how to get around.'_ At that thought, Vladimir's hand froze.

"I shouldn't be in here."

"Indeed. What would папа say?" Ivan's voice sounded from behind him and Vladimir hurried to face him. Ivan was in the doorway to the kitchen, his arms crossed, with a disapproving look taking the place of his smile. Ivan sighed, walked up to the boy and proceeded to carry him up to his room. Sitting on his bed, Ivan placed Vladimir on his lap and sighed. He had hoped that he would never have to face this part of parenting. "Vladimir I make rules for a reason. They're to ensure your safety. I told you to stay out of my vodka cabinet. Those bottles are heavier than they look. What if one of them had fallen and smashed? You could have been hurt. Now I know that you probably didn't mean to break the rule but the fact of the matter is that you broke it and I have to punish you for breaking it. Do you understand?" Vladimir nodded miserably. Ivan swallowed the lump in his throat and set Vladimir face down across his lap. He then pulled down the boy's pants and underwear, trying to block out the tiny sniffle. He rested his leather clad hand against the pale flesh and tried to keep his voice from wavering. "There were ten bottles in the cupboard that could have broken. That's how many you're going to get. Do you understand?" Vladimir whimpered and nodded again.

"Yes." Ivan placed his other hand on his son's shoulder blades and began the punishment. For the first five Vladimir would give small cries and whimpers but as a slight burning began to set in and tears began to soak Ivan's pant leg, Ivan could feel the boy squirming for relief.

"P-p-please папа s-s-stop! I'm s-s-s-sorry. No more. P-p-p-p-please I'm s-sorry. I'm sorry." Ivan ran his hand along the boy's back as he delivered the final three swats. He then pulled the boy into a hug to let him know all was forgiven. Ivan sighed as the grip on his heart was loosened and he leaned back onto the bed. A nap sounded like a wonderful thing to the two right about now.


	11. Punishment German style

**Alright finally a new chapter. Everybody do a happy dance. Please Review, they equal love.**

Ludwig sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. He had finally finished writing the speech he was supposed to give about the standard proper care for a child. After several issues that steamed from improper care of children, the law had been put in place. Unfortunately it was Ludwig who had to announce it. So he had spent most of the morning locked up in his office attempting to write a speech that got the information across but that also sounded compassionate. Finally he was able to stretch and head downstairs for a bite to eat and some coffee.

Niklas rushed upstairs to his vatti's office to show him the model plane that Uncle Gilbert had bought him for them to build together. He hoped that vatti was finished working, he wanted to start building now. He excitedly pushed the door open only to discover the room empty. He stood there in the doorway for a few minutes in confusion. Then he realized that vatti must be done working. Maybe Uncle Gilbert had even let vatti know with those cell phones he saw all over. He looked on the large oak desk and realized that vatti must already know because he had a stack of papers for them to spread out on the floor to keep from making a mess. He grabbed the pages and carefully spread them out on the floor, and then he grabbed the box and opened it carefully. Or as carefully as a child could manage. As he pulled apart the box, the container of glue fell on the papers followed by the containers of paint. All of them burst open on contact and covered the pristine sheets.

"Oh no." The door creaked open a little as Ludwig checked to see if Niklas was alright.

"Niklas what's wro-"He froze in the doorway, staring down at the mess that covered the speech he had been working on for _three hours_. His eyes then found Niklas, who held the broken box and was forlornly picking up the containers.

"Do you think we can at least save the glue vatti?" Ludwig grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him downstairs to the living room. He sat the boy down on the couch and kneeled in front of him.

"Why did you do that Niklas? That speech was very important to vatti." Niklas blinked his blue eyes in confusion. He hadn't seen a speech.

"What speech?" Ludwig fought to keep his temper.

"The speech that you just poured glue and paint all over." His tone slowly became rougher. Niklas blinked as tears began to fill his eyes.

"I thought it was just scrap paper that you put out for us. Uncle Gilbert said that you'd make the plane with me." Ludwig sighed. He knew that neither of them was going to like what happened next, but it had to be done. He took a seat on the couch and pulled Niklas onto his lap so that he was face down.

"I'm sorry my son." With that the German brought his hand down on the small bottom. Niklas yelped louder and louder with every hit and Ludwig could feel a wet patch growing where the boy had hidden his face. After the punishment was over, Niklas jumped from Ludwig's lap and raced upstairs to his room. Ludwig ran a hand over his face just as his older brother walked in.

"Hey West, what's eatin' you?" Ludwig stared at the top of the stairs sadly.

"I understand now Gilbert." The Prussian stared at Ludwig in confusion. "You always said that it hurt you more than it hurt me." Gilbert's eyes softened and he gave his brother a one armed hug in sympathy. Ludwig marched solemnly back up to his office. He would be up late into the night if he hoped to rewrite his speech after cleaning up the mess. He looked down at the small box that boasted an all too perfect image of the plane that was inside. He sighed and got to work.

The next morning Niklas opened his eyes to see the plane from the other day sitting on bedside table along with a small note. _'I'm sorry_.' Niklas smiled and quietly opened his door. Sneaking past his slumbering vatti, he hurried downstairs to ask his Uncle Gilbert for help.

Ludwig rushed downstairs. He had over slept and now had less time then he would have liked to get to the meeting. He was just about to rush out the door when he spotted it. A fresh copy of the speech that he had fallen asleep before he could rewrite. He immediately recognized Gilbert's handwriting and smiled at the little note on top written in green crayon. '_Me too_.'


	12. Punishment American style

**It's been a while but here it is. I thought long and hard about what type of punishment Alfred would give before I realized…what punishment. This is Alfred we're talking about. Anyway enjoy and review.**

Alfred bit his lip in worry as he forcefully pulled his capital off of the eight year old boy. In the random, erratic firings that were Alfred's though process, he had gotten it into his head that it would be a good idea to visit the park. Normally it would have been an excellent idea, especially seeing as he now had a seven year old daughter. The problem was that she was a girl, a girl that liked to do guy things. When they had arrived at the park, it had been just past 1:00 and the sun shown down on the jungle gym with its rope swing. Off to the side were three tire swings that were already occupied by a trio of other children swinging in fast circles to see who could avoid throwing up the longest. A large oak tree shaded a row swings that moved slightly back and forth with the breeze and just behind the jungle gym was a field marked on either end with goalposts. A soccer game had been started and Amanda raced over to ask if she could play. Alfred sat down on one of the benches meant for the parents and watched to make sure that she didn't get hurt. Beside him was a woman with a stroller, a sleeping two year old nestled inside. She also looked out at the field, particularly at the boy Amanda was approaching. As the silence became awkward, Alfred reached for something to say. Glancing at the child again, he cleared his throat.

"Ain't she cute." Alfred hoped it was a she, if all the pink around it was any indication. The woman turned in surprise but smiled when she understood. Looking down at the child, her smile turned nostalgic.

"Yeah. Kids now, they grow up so fast. One minute you're teaching them to walk and then."

"You blinked." Alfred matched her smile. Whatever the woman was going to say next was interrupted by a scream. Alfred looked over in shock to see Amanda sitting on top of the boy, her small fist coming down rapidly. The woman beside him screamed and raced over to the two fighting children, Alfred right behind her. That brought them back to where they were now.

"I just wanted to play soccer dad but he said that I couldn't cause I'm a girl."

"Jacob, are you alright honey? Did that wretched little urchin hurt you?" Alfred looked up in shock.

"I hardly see how this is just her fault." The woman rounded on him, the sharp manicured nail on her index finger digging into his chest.

"Control your child before you bring her around civilized people. You're raising an animal." Alfred scowled.

"And you're raising a sexist brat!" She smacked him sharply, his glasses falling into the grass, and Amanda sank her teeth into her leg. Righting his glasses on his nose, Alfred grabbed Amanda's hand. "Come on champ, obviously this park isn't for us. Its people like that that killed off the Natives, enslaved black people, and in general just bring down the country."

"Can I go to work with you tomorrow dad?"

"Sure champ, you'll love the White House." The woman's jaw dropped and she stared in shock.

"Y-you work for the president?" Alfred smiled.

"A lot more than you think."


	13. Punishment English style

**Ok for those of you who are wondering where I'm going with all these chapters that really don't match the summery at all then continue to read this. See I always got so annoyed when a writer would introduce a large number of characters to a story and then just jump right into the plot, expecting the readers to suddenly care for these OCs. It works with one or two but more than that and you have to take some time to flesh them out.**

**Don't worry though, after this punishment arc we will be moving on to the main story, unless you guys want more of this?**

**Finally, in regards to this chapter, I always saw Arthur as a bit wiser than a good deal of the other characters. Not saying that all the other characters are naïve but Arthur just seemed, I guess the best way to put it is…**_**fatherly**_

"Never again will you threaten the people of London!" Arthur looked up briefly from his work in order to make sure that Oliver was still in sight. It had been one of the few warm, sunny days in London so Arthur had decided to do his work out on the porch while Oliver played outside. Currently Oliver and the mint bunny were facing down a large fire breathing dragon. Jumping into the air and bring his sword, or stick, down Oliver beheaded the dragon and raced back to Arthur just as the elder placed his signature on the final document. "Daddy, daddy did you see that? Did you see what I did?" Arthur laughed and ruffled the boy's hair.

"I certainly did. A fine job done by a fine knight, though I would imagine that he's a little hungry now. After all fighting such a large and dangerous beast is hard work." Oliver beamed and nodded eagerly. "You can bring your sword inside but remember no practicing and or slaying in the house." Oliver pouted a bit at that but still followed Arthur inside with a bounce in his step. Once inside, Arthur vanished into the kitchen to throw something together for lunch while Oliver sat in the living room recounting the fight to all the mystical creatures that hung around the house.

"Then he roared and sent a huge blast of flames at me but I dodged them and swung my sword. Take that and that and that!" Suddenly his sword connected with the stand in the corner of the room resulting in one of the few pictures of Arthur with a young Alfred to fall and shatter. The sound brought Arthur out of the kitchen in a hurry and, at first; he could only stare at the scene. It was very obvious what happened and Arthur scowled.

"Oliver Kirkland, I told you not to swing that around in the house!" Oliver immediately dropped the stick and backed away. "Nice try mister but you broke the rules and now you have to take the punishment for it. Come here." Arthur sat down in his chair and gestured at his lap. Oliver's lower lip trembled as he timidly made his way over to Arthur. Without a word, Arthur picked the boy up and draped him over his knees. Raising his hand, he steeled himself and began the punishment. Once it was over he banished Oliver to his room until dinner.

Arthur cracked open the door to Oliver's room with a bowl of warm soup in one hand.

"Oliver, are you alright? You didn't come down for dinner." The only answer he got was a sniffle from under the covers.

"Y-you hate me now." The small voice wavered and broke off into a sob at the end.

"No, no of course I don't hate you." Arthur set the bowl down on the desk and sat on the edge of the bed. "You're not a bad child; you're a child learning about the world as you grow. Making mistakes is part of the process." Arthur gently pulled the covers off and looked down at the slightly flushed and tear stained face. "If you did everything perfectly and knew everything you needed to then there would be no need for me." Oliver gasped and jumped into his lap, clinging to his shirt desperately.

"You're not allowed to go anywhere. Not ever." Arthur chuckled and pat the boy's head.

"I won't. I'll always be here for you, I promise."


	14. Punishment French style

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long! It's prep for exams so I am swamped. I'm also trying to get my original book finished and published.**

Her laugh, eyes, smile, curious nature, there was many things that Francis adored about his little Madeline but there was one thing that he could really do without; Madeline's temper. While he understood that sometimes it was difficult for children to fully understand why things had to be the way they were, he could not understand why every single time this was learned had to be a battle. The very latest involved a simple board game.

Paris was yet again seeing a dreadful windstorm but this time, it came with a bit of bite. So, in order to keep Madeline entertained, he had brought down some of the board games that had been acquired over the course of caring for as many children as he had. The game had started well enough, all smiles and laughs, but as soon as Madeline had begun to lose, her temper started to sour. By the end of the game, she was screaming at him that he had cheated and that the game was stupid. In the end, she threw the board and as many pieces as she could get her hands on. The final straw that broke the camel's back was when the maid came over to help Francis tidy the room back up and Madeline turned up her nose at the woman. Francis grabbed Madeline's arm and whirled her around to face him.

"Madeline that is quite enough!" She shot him an annoyed look.

"Of what?" Francis pulled her over and sat her in one of the chairs.

"Your behavior right now is very spoilt and I do not like it." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay."

"Now you will sit her for a while and think about the disrespect you have shown to Annabelle and myself, and, when I come back, I expect an apology. Then you can apologize to Annabelle." She pursed her lips.

"No I won't."

"Then you'll sit here the rest of the night." So it went and every half hour Francis asked for the apologies. As dinner time approached, he crouched in front of her again.

"Are you ready to say sorry?" She ignored him, her back to him as she hid her face in the back of the chair. Annabelle came round the corner and coughed to get the attention of the two.

"Is the young miss coming to dinner?" Francis stared at Madeline for a minute before standing.

"No." After that, Francis didn't come back for the rest of the night. Madeline did as she was told and remained in the chair all night, even as the temperature dropped below zero. Her bladder ached for relief and she looked longingly at the kitchen as her stomach rumbled. Finally, unable to take anymore, she began crying, cold, hungry, and miserable. She was so tired that she barely even registered Annabelle helping her into the bathroom and then off to bed.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."


	15. Punishment ChineseJapanese style

**I know I'm inconsistent with updates but the plot bunny for my Batman fic held all the others hostage until I started it. On the bright side, next chapter the real plot begins! *Evil Laugh***

Yao knocked lightly on Kiku's door and grunted as Bao attempted to yank out of his grasp. One thing that Yao had very quickly learned about his capitol was that Bao could not remain still for very long. If the boy was forced to, it seemed that all energy that would have been used in that time frame was stored until he was able to move around again. Yao sometimes wondered if Bao was really South Korea's capitol. Speaking of the hyper active nation, Yao smiled fondly at the reason for his visiting the island nation. Im Yong Soo's birthday was quickly approaching so Yao and Kiku were putting the finishing touches on their present.

The door opened to reveal Asuka in a beautiful pale pink kimono. Yao smiled widely at the doll like little girl and proceeded to faun over her and compliment Kiku, who had come up behind her to see who was at the door, on how well behaved she was. Bao scowled once Yao's attention was no longer on him and quickly decided that he hated the little girl in her pretty pink kimono. Kiku graciously invited them in and, while taking their outside attire to hang up, asked Asuka to go and get the tea. Asuka nodded obediently and vanished into the kitchen. As the remaining trio sat down around the low table, she re-appeared, tea tray in hand. She handed Yao and Kiku their tea first before turning to Bao.

"Would you like tea or something else to drink?" He forced a small smile.

"Tea is fine." She placed the cup in front of him and slowly poured the hot liquid. This close he noticed that there were slight traces of geisha make-up on her face. As she finished and started to move away, he stared into the murky green depths of the tea. "You know, you're a little young to be wearing make-up. You should wash it off." With that, he tossed the contents of the cup back at her, drenching her face and the top of her kimono. She screamed and raised her hands to her face, causing the running make-up to smear all over the sleeves of the kimono. Before he could recover from the shock of what he had just done, Asuka pounced on him and began to beat him with her tiny fists. Yao and Kiku hurried to pull them apart and place them in opposite corners of the room.

"Why would you do that?" Yao looked at the boy with shock and anger. Bao ignored the tears that had started to run down his face and tried to shove Yao away.

"She's not even a part of your country and you like her more than me! Why don't you just make her your capitol? I don't wanna be a part of you anymore! I hate you!" His clenched fists came down again and again on Yao's shoulders while Yao could only stare in shock.

"I-I never wanted to replace you with anyone. Yes, I like Asuka but you're my boy. Why would I ever want to give you up?" He pulled Bao into a hug and shushed him when he began to cry in earnest.

Kiku looked down at Asuka disapprovingly.

"I know that what Bao did was uncalled for, but never do you hit anyone especially someone who is a guest in your home." Asuka nodded mutely. "Stay here for a little while and think about what you've done." He turned to leave when he caught sight of Yao cradling Bao while slowly rocking back and forth. "Yao that is not how you're supposed to discipline."

"No but it is how I show someone that I still care."


	16. Kidnapped!

**I know that it's short and that I've been gone for a long time but I do have a good reason, at least to me, and because you have all been so loyal and patient to this and my other stories, I will tell you. So this year is my first year of college (^_^) and I was so excited. I took on extra hours at work and planned out how everything was going to go with my best friends. Well one of them was and is still in a relationship. All well and normal right? Well me and her boyfriend don't like each other but we try to keep hostility to a minimum when she's around. One night we all went out with some other girls and they left midway through the party. Me and another girl made a getting a room joke and then forgot about them. Well that joke got back to her, blown way out of proportion, and she gave everyone the silent treatment online and refused to see us in person. To make the rest of the story shorter, she finally told me what she was mad about and then blew up once I asked the others if anyone said anything insulting about her and her boyfriend. She refused to accept online apologies but also refused to talk to any of us in person, which she said is what we should have done instead of causing all this drama. In short I wanted to kill her and it was reflected in anything I tried to write. Not a week later I find out that the best friend that I got rid of for talking shit about me never said anything that the girl mentioned above told me she did, so I spent re-patching that. We're now besties again and are going to see Cesar Millan together this November. I feel like a windbag so on with the story**

The World Conference building in Washington loomed over the approaching nations. The dark grey, almost black, clouds had been threatening rain for the majority of the past two days and it seemed like it had chosen today of all days to finally follow through as the final few stragglers hurried in out of the light drizzle and nipping winds with futile hopes of a quick meeting. It had been almost six months since all eight capitols were together, six months since that fateful day. Even though the meeting was hosted in his country, and his house was a measly ten minute car ride away, Alfred and Amanda were the last to arrive. The meeting room itself was a bundle of quiet chaos. Asuka had somehow talked Bao into a game of snakes and ladders, to which Bao added numerous sound effects and comments, while Yao and Kiku attempted a quiet game of go. Francis and Arthur had gotten into another heated argument over who knew what and Oliver and Madeline had gotten into one of their own while trying to defend their parent from the other. Both Feliciano and Carla had fallen asleep due to their early morning flight and it seemed that Ludwig had given up all attempts to regain order and had instead taken to reading to Niklas. Ivan sat in the far corner of the room with a sleeping Vladimir in his lap who was fighting the final stages of phenomena. He should have been in bed another couple days but Ivan had no one who he trusted to take care of his little one. The noise steadily got louder as everyone struggled to be heard over the others and Ivan's eyes narrowed when Vladimir shifted as though about to wake.

"Enough." Everything froze at the softly spoken, yet chillingly cold, command. Ivan's smile had vanished and in its place was a cold, hard mask. "America, you are having place for the children to be entertained while we are having discussion, da?" Alfred looked over from hanging up his and Amanda's coats, seemingly oblivious to the dark aura coming off the Russian.

"Yeah dude, I totally got it all set up." The nations gathered the children and, with the conversations or arguments quieted to avoid Ivan's temper, followed Alfred out of the room and three doors over. Ludwig paused to grab Carla since it seemed that Feliciano wouldn't be waking up in the near future.

The room was small, designed more to be an office than a meeting room, and was the same off white as every other room. Seriously this was taking the term white house a little too far. Thankfully someone seemed to think along the same level as the visiting nations as deep green wallpaper had been applied to the top half of the walls. The thick curtains that framed the only window were the same deep green with gold embroidery and were tied back with gold ropes. The furniture included a small love seat, chaise lounge, and a few chairs all in a deep brown, and, in the center of the room, was a mahogany table holding a few children's books, some games, and other various toys. Alfred disappeared for a minute before walking back in with a T.V. on a wheeling stand. Opening the cabinets on the stand, he revealed a DVD machine and some movies.

"It's still a little early so I guess I'll put a movie on for you kids." Amanda sprawled out on the floor in front of the T.V. while the other kids were given the 'behave while I'm gone' speech. Asuka and Oliver then claimed the chairs, Carla, Madeline, and Lukas settled onto the love seat, Bao settled beside Amanda, and Ivan placed Vladimir on the chaise lounge, wrapping him in his thick trench coat and tucking Vladimir's stuffed wolf, Timber, under the slumbering child's arm. Alfred slipped Peter Pan into the machine and the nations quietly, or as quiet as an arguing France and Britain can be, slipped out.

Four hours into the day and the room had quickly lost its charm.

"I'm bored."

"I'm hungry."

"My butt hurts." The rest of the capitols looked at Amanda with annoyance. Vladimir sighed and shifted beneath the mammoth of a coat.

"No one needed to know that Washington." Amanda scoffed and turned her back to him.

"Whatever commie. Dad says that you're just a bunch of evil schemers so nothing you say counts." Vladimir said nothing, choosing instead to bury his nose into Timber. He didn't feel well enough to argue. Thunder and lightning flashed and boomed as the storm raged outside. It was impossible to see anything through the rain and, as another strike of lightning flashed, the lights in the building flickered out. Shrieks filled the room as the children were enshrouded in darkness. The door handle jiggled causing the screams to cease and all attention brought to the opening door.

"Well looky here Mike. We come in looking for files and we find a few little lost lambs." Amanda stood in front of the others, her lower lip trembling defiantly.

"My dad is going to kick your ass."

Alfred slammed the door open to the room where the capitols were staying and froze, his face white. The T.V. was smashed on the floor, the chairs had been smashed against the wall, the cushions had been ripped off the love seat and their stuffing was thrown about. Broken toys and books covered the floor and beside the overturned chaise lounge was Ivan's coat. The window had been smashed letting in a stream of rain and two yellow glass eyes stared up at them from just in front of the window where Timber lay. Ivan slipped into the coat before tenderly picking up the wolf and tucking it into his coat. Peering out the window, uncaring of the rain, his amethyst eyes scanned for any signs of a trail. Gnashing his teeth, he leapt from the window, the other nations quickly following and scattering to search. Ivan looked out at the road that led towards the highway, his eyes narrowed, and dashed for his car. Soon the eight were speeding along roads, stopping to question anyone and slowly reaching the inevitable. They weren't in the city, they were gone. Ivan glanced at the wolf that he had placed in the passenger seat and beside it, his pipe. He picked up his phone and dialed the number he feared most.

"Natalia, gather the family. Someone took my son. I want them found and I want them alive."


	17. The Search Is On

**Wow it's been a long time since I updated this and to be honest, if you guys like this chapter, I'll be very surprised. This is not my best work as I'm not particularly well at writing drama but for my readers I decided to give it my best shot.**

Lukas groaned as he reached up to rub his head in an attempt to make the headache disappear. It felt as if someone had taken a bat to his temple and, given what he remembered, it was safe to assume someone had. His vision swam and, when he pulled his fingers away from the nest of blond hair, he was greeted by a slippery red substance that possessed a coppery odor. It took a few minutes for his frazzled brain to realize that it was blood. His blood. His head lolled to the side as he caught what might have been the ends of a conversation. Everything sounded like he had cotton balls stuffed in his ears while the world played in slow motion. If he turned his head to the other side, he could make out the others, all looking to have been subdued in a similar manner. A greasy hand grabbed his chin and forced his head towards its owner.

"Well it looks like one of the little lambs woke up early." His voice had taken on the patronizing high pitch that was used for mocking childish behaviour. "We can't have that now can we?" Lukas's eyes watched the bat rise and fall before he was sent back to the world of darkness.

Ludwig bowed his head, teeth gnawing on his lip and fists clenched. Before him sat the rest of the Germanic nations and Hungary. He had just finished his explanation of the events for which he had called the family meeting and, though he was loathed to admit it, his request for help. Gilbert he knew would offer his full support, former nation or not. Elizaveta with her kind heart and quick temper would be quick to join in and she would get Roderich to join. It was Vash that he was worried about and Lili would follow whatever her big brother did. Vash had been violently neutral for as long as Ludwig, and most of the world, had known him. He would not fight and no one was allowed to enter Switzerland or Lichtenstein for any conflict. Ludwig squeezed his eyes shut as tears threatened to make themselves known. He was about to give up and accept that Vash wouldn't help, but when he opened his eyes, he was presented with a black glove reaching out for a handshake. He looked up to meet those fierce green eyes and, as Vash gave a nod in agreement, shook the hand presented.

Feliciano didn't really know how it happened. He had gone home to explain what happened to his brother and ask for advice. His brother had turned to Antonio for advice who then involved the entire Spanish speaking world. To say he was overwhelmed was an understatement. All hours, day or night, he was receiving phone calls with updates on the search. Antonio had graciously taken over when Feliciano had become so stressed that he actually served raw pasta with overcooked sauce and willingly ate it.

Ivan sat at the head of the table, peering over his linked fingers at the nations present. He would never admit allowed that he was delightfully surprised at the large turn-out. Natalia had done as requested and contacted everyone that the Braginski clan considered family. Natalia and Katyusha were obviously there along with Berwald, Tino, Mathias, Emil, and Niklas. Ivan's lover, Sadik had been among the first to arrive bringing along Gupta, Israel, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Palestine, Kuwait, and the Emirates (Had to go with country names here because there isn't a decided upon name for these characters, either officially or among fans). He was honestly touched by how many people proudly considered him family. His normally pleasant smile had morphed into something malicious and his amethyst eyes had darkened to a colour bordering on black. His left hand moved to the laptop before him, wirelessly connecting it to the projector in order to show those present the security footage of the night Vladimir was kidnapped. He hadn't bothered to wait for Alfred to hand it over and had instead threatened the security guard until the man had broken down and handed it over.

Kiku and Yao stood before the entire continent of Asia with grim faces. As soon as the story had gotten out, there had been a mass movement towards computers and cellphones. With that many people in one room, it was impossible for anyone to be heard over everything else. Surprisingly it was North Korea that stood up and commanded everyone's attention. The man had then placed everyone in groups of three and assigned them a specific task. Kiku, Yao, and Hong Kong were in charge of keeping track of all the information the other nations brought in. North Korea marched back and forth in front of the groups, every few minutes demanding a status report. Yao turned to look at Kiku with sad eyes and hung his head. Kiku nodded sadly in understanding. They had already lost their capitols twice in less than a year and, as any parent knows, that was already two times too many. Hong Kong placed a hand on both their shoulders and tried to smile encouragingly.

Alfred sprinted into the room with the files he had managed to obtain on the kidnappers based on the sole shot of their faces the camera had captured. He ran a hand through his messy hair as he hurried to the head of the table. Arthur and Francis were for once sitting side by side and paying no attention to the other. Instead they both had their cellphones glued to their ear as they shouted orders over each other at their bosses. Across from them sat Mathew and Logan. Both the Canadian and Australian were hunched over a single laptop that showed the footage of the checkpoint at the border. Alfred looked over at Mathew who shook his head, signaling that neither he nor Logan had seen either of the men nor the car that was registered under them. Just as Arthur and Francis hung up their phones and sighed simultaneously, Mathew's hand shot out and froze the shot. He quickly waved the others over. Alfred grinned and raced over to his own laptop to send out an email to the rest of the G8. Frozen on the screen was a large pale blue van heading south. In window as the van drove away was Amanda.


	18. Spinning the web

**Gah, I'm sorry this is so short. Slowly I'm getting back into the grove of writing for this story because…well, I honestly didn't think anyone was reading it anymore. Anyway hope you enjoy the chapter and I'll see you all next update ;)**

Amanda held her head high with determined eyes, even as she continuously worried her bottom lip with her teeth. When she'd woken up, it was to the sight of a pitch black room. From what she could tell, she was sitting on a rickety old chair with her hands tied behind her and back to back with Carla, Madeline, and Asuka. Her nose, where she'd taken the brunt of the blow from the bat, throbbed with every heartbeat and, every so often, she felt another drop of blood drip onto her jeans. She could hear Carla and Madeline openly crying and the occasional sniffle coming from Asuka. She was slightly glad that it was so dark because heroes don't cry. She had to be strong for these three even as the warm, salty wetness soaked the collar of her shirt.

Vladimir whined slightly in the back of his throat and shifted for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last minute. His knees hurt and his legs were going numb from kneeling for so long. His arms were stretched to their limit and tied above his head. He would have stood if not for the rope tied around his neck that anchored him to the floor. It only let him rise to a crouch which also choked him. Off to his right, he could hear Lukas mumbling steadily under his breath. To his left was Bao talking soothingly to a frazzled Oliver about, from the snippets Vladimir could gather, tea. He wanted to roll his eyes at them but of course they wouldn't see it. Tea, of all the things to be talking about when kidnapped by someone who clearly wanted a bit more than ransom material, was by far the stupidest. He shivered as a cold draft swept through the room. His clothes were soaked from the rain and were clinging to his small frame. He groaned and lent his head on his arm. His head was pounding and he suddenly felt too warm.

Alfred had never had so many nations in his house before. He could bet that he had half of the globe crowded into his living room. While he knew that they were only there to gather the locations that they were to search, his head had started to throb painfully. Since the security camera only showed the van crossing the border out of D.C. the many families present had agreed to split up and cover the entire country. Ludwig's booming voice cut through everything else as it always had.

"Alright is there anyone who does not know where they're going?" Silence answered him. "Well then, you have each been given the number to the home base here. Should you find anything, notify the base first. Dismissed!" The nations scattered to the wind, each hurrying in different directions to form a web that would, hopefully, ensnare their prey.


End file.
